Salt of the Earth
by FireCat1
Summary: Stahn has emotions after the final battle must deal with, and his family has to deal with them at home, as well as he. Kind of angsty because thats basically the way I feel right now.


Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Destiny 1 or 2, they both belong to Namco.  
  
Hm...I've been away for awhile. Mostly bad things in my life, so sorry to say. First off, my cousin recently passed away and I've taken responsibility for his ff.net stuff, and I noticed he had a rather insulting story up, so I took it down. There was no call for it. For those of you who read it and were offended, I'm very sorry.  
  
Second. Well, I recently got a fairly insulting and threatening letter, so let me put it this way. If you have to flame me, do it on the review board. Then I'll read it and erase it. Thanks.  
  
Ok, well, this may be a bit depressing, mainly because that's my mood right now. I'll try to make it all right in the end. Promise.  
  
Salt of the Earth  
  
The sky, now blue as it had always once been, rolled happily all over the world, spreading the joyous fact that the battle had been won. But to the ones who fought the battle, it wasn't as great a day as it should be.  
  
Lilith looked into her and Stahn's room. He was still laying still and acting miserable. She supposed he had the right to, though she didn't know what had gone on up in the sky, she guessed it was terrible. She returned to her cooking and constantly shot glances to the seemingly empty room. Sometimes he would lay so still she would worry he had died.  
  
Thomas looked at his worried grand daughter. For the younger one she acted almost like a mother to her brother. Then again Stahn was never the careful one, and often found himself limping home. At least he had someone who worried about him and would care for him no matter what. He stood up, and slowly walked to Stahn and Lilith's room. He slid the ajar door open and looked in.  
  
Stahn was lying in his bed, as usual, acting miserable. He walked in the dark room and sat on the edge of Stahn's bed. Stahn ignored the old man and went on being silent.  
  
Thomas put his hand gently on his grandson's forehead and brushed his wild bangs back. Stahn looked up, then back down as he whimpered, trying not to let out a few cries.  
  
"Oh, my grandson, things aren't as bad as they seem. Even though we lost a few, the world is a safe place now, thanks to you and your friends."  
  
Stahn grimaced. "Lost a few? We lost to many. Thanks to me...and my friends." Stahn thought.  
  
"Go away. I want to be alone." Stahn mumbled, turning on his side. Thomas looked concerned.  
  
"Stahn."  
  
"Go away, go away, go away. No one can help me now. Go away."  
  
"Stahn, do you think this is the kind of life you should live. You do one great thing with a few mishaps and then, when it's over, you hide for life? Do you think your father imagined this life for you? He had high hopes as to what you would be."  
  
"..."  
  
"John was very interested in raising his son to be a hero. I would say he did a good job, but then again, heroes don't run and hide."  
  
With that Thomas stood up and left Stahn to himself. He hoped that his words would stir some kind of emotion in his grandson, telling him to live on with the pains. After awhile they would surely go away.  
  
  
  
Lilith awoke to the sound of someone moving around in the room. She stayed very still, looking into the dark tentatively. When her eyes finally adjusted to the dark she could make out Stahn pulling on his boots and a cloak, and he was apparently trying to crawl out of the window. After a few moments he succeeded and was outside. He was moving quickly through the town.  
  
Lilith hurriedly grabbed her shoes and a coat and followed after him. He was moving fast and knew exactly where to go, since he was rarely stopped with a branch or bush, which she was constantly plagued by. Finally he slowed down, somewhere by water, since she heard the lapping.  
  
She hid in the shadows by the edge of the woods and watched Stahn. Now she knew where they were.  
  
Stahn walked slowly through the gravestones, calculating where to stop. Near the middle there was a fairly large head stone, at which he stopped. He sat down in front of it and stared into it, as if trying to read the energy inside the stone itself.  
  
Lilith crawled slowly behind him, so he wouldn't notice her. She hid right behind him, covered by a large gravestone. She peaked over and saw what he looked so intently at. The name 'John Aileron' was carved neatly into the stone. As she looked closer at the stone she was at she realized they were in the old family plot. She had always heard it was way out in the forest.  
  
Stahn put his head in his hands and looked at the stone. His eyes narrowed with anger. He started to claw furiously at the name on the stone. After ranking his nails down it several times he stopped when he noticed a bit of blood on the name. He looked to his hands. He had tried a bit too hard to defile the stone. His fingertips were running with blood. He looked at them with little concern, then to the stone.  
  
"Oh father. You said you would always be here when I need you, and where are you now when I need you most? Gone, like you were every other time I needed you." He sighed. "Sometimes, even though I knew I hate you for leaving me here, I have to admit...that I really miss you."  
  
Lilith watched as Stahn cried his eyes out. Life had never been kind to him, at all. Even she had to admit her life was cake. Not Stahn though, oh no, he went through the most unbearable things, and yet he hid them deep inside, ignored them, and here they were, pouring out of his soul. Things are never forgotten, even if they're buried the anger and pain is still there, waiting for a day when you just have to let it go. And even then...  
  
Lilith stood up and walked to Stahn. She put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up with fear and contempt. When he realized who it was he smiled slightly and looked back to their father's grave. Gone, but still here in memory. In a good way, and bad, things can be gone and buried, but they still live on.  
  
Lilith wrapped her arms around Stahn's shoulders and looked at the stone with him. It was faded but you could make it all out clearly. 'John Aileron, Loving husband and father, you shall be missed'.  
  
"Let's go home." Lilith whispered into Stahn's ear, then kissed his cheek. Stahn nodded, and stood up. As they walked back to their home they held hands tightly. John was missed, and he had been a wonderful husband and father. And he would live on through his children, and his spirit, within his son, the known hero of the world.  
  
  
  
Thomas awoke the next morning to the almost impossible sound of Stahn 's laughter. When he entered the living room he saw Stahn and Lilith sitting by the fire, playing a game of cads. As he sat down in a chair besides them he noticed something he had never noticed before.  
  
When Stahn smiled and laughed, he could be almost mistaken for John. So much alike, even if they didn't realize it. With a smile he closed his eyes and remembered when his son had been young, he too had dreamed of leaving this place and becoming a hero. John became known as a hero to the village, his son got further.  
  
Stahn looked in a mirror, later, straightening his hair. As he pulled at some lose strands he noticed something in the mirror. Behind him, there was what appeared to be a man standing there. As he looked closer he saw the man was smiling at him. Stahn felt the strangest feeling of recognition when he looked at the man. It was almost like they had meet.  
  
When he turned to face the man, there was no one there. He gave a worried sigh and then walked back into the living room. Ad he passed by the fireplace a picture on the mantle caught his attention. The same man that had been standing there, watching him was in the picture, standing beside Thomas.  
  
Stahn thought for a moment, but it seemed almost impossible. The man who had smiled at him from far down the hall was his father. As Lilith dropped a pot or something in the kitchen he returned to his world. Stahn smiled. He remembered what his grandfather had said when John had died.  
  
"Even when people are gone, they're still alive. You see, he lives in you, in your reflection. You just have to look."  
  
~The End  
  
I kind of always imagined that the boys in the family would all look somewhat alike. So Stahn looked like John, which may be a reason Stahn was angry with him for dying. I guess, when a person dies, a part of you dies too. And from his bio it sounded to me like Stahn had a few people die on him. Any ways, I'm still trying to find my inspiration. I was thinking of writing another Kyle fic. So look for that in awhile. Thanks 


End file.
